The existing means of lifting an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) out of a body of water and onto a boat utilizes the main bail on the UUV and a lifting hook where the UUV is lifted into an upside down cradle. Tension on the line is maintained at all times, placing unneeded tension on the UUV. The system and method described herein allows a UUV to be placed inside of a clamp shell that then supports the UUV and does not place any additional loads on the vehicle.